Enemy Mine
by evenstar8705
Summary: Yes, the title is a reference to the film. Picture a similar plot but with a Cardassian soldier and Bajoran woman instead of a Drac and a human. This story is a pure guilty pleasure and has nothing to do with any of my other DS9 stories. It's an erotica and all the usual Occupation tags should apply.
1. Chapter 1

The Cardassian soldier had been playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Bajoran rebel for two days now. A dog fight in the stratosphere had caused both their crafts major damage and they were forced to land on a moon that was barely habitable for either of them. It was sweltering hot by day and freezing cold at night. He had limited information on the plant and wildlife and limited food and survival gear. At least he had no injuries beyond minor scrapes and bruising from his landing.

The Cardassian had far superior technology so his ship might be salvageable yet. He couldn't do that with the enemy scoping him in some sort of powerful sniper rifle he must have got from Starfleet or some other sympathetic organization. The Cardassian landed in a low valley and the Bajoran had landed near hills and mountains clearly. The rebel was no primitive smooth skinned ape. He had fired several shots too close for comfort. He seemed to be dealing with an expert marksman and likely a ranging and foraging expert.

Bajorans had never been a warlike species and their progress in technology had been stunted by their superstitious beliefs. It was part of why they had been such irresistible prey for the Cardassian Empire. The Cardassians had been forcibly occupying their planet for decades now, assigning the natives to aid in the strip mining and deforestation of their planet. The Empire was in sore need of Bajor's bountiful natural resources. The rest of the galaxy seemed to turn a blind eye to what was happening until recently.

He supposed Starfleet took pity quicker than others because Bajorans resembled the Terrans from Earth so much. The only difference between their humans and Bajorans was that the latter had horizontal ridges upon their nose. Their planet was cooler than Cardassia. Their ridges evolved for the multi-purpose of regulating body temperature, for sniffing out the pheromones of their mates, to track potentially edible or dangerous sources of smell, and possibly for attraction in their early evolution. They were stronger and hardier than humans.

Cardassians, however, were reptilian humanoids. Their bodies contained ridges at their joints, gray scales mixed with gray skin in certain small areas. They had smooth gray skin on their faces and hands, for example. The hands of most Cardassians were almost identical to a human's. Cardassians grew black hair from their scalps and had eyes that almost always matched their skin color. They were taller, broader, and much stronger than Bajorans. They were cold blooded and had always been a scientifically minded militaristic race.

The Cardassian decided he needed to hunt down his enemy before he could do anything more than send out a distress signal to his race. The Bajoran's ship crashed worse than his own. Anyone could see smoke from the wreckage of what must have been a donated or stolen ship from miles around. He could see better in the dark but the Bajoran must have night goggles to make up for his lack so he went carefully.

Night fell, chillier than the night before it. The Bajoran was warm blooded, so he could deal with the extreme temperatures a little more than the Cardassian could. The soldier carried a thermal heat blanket with him, but it relied on solar power and there were less hours of daylight than he needed to fully recharge it. The Bajoran had been forced to build a fire that helped the Cardassian narrow in on him plus he needed the fire more desperately. If the Bajoran had waited or built the fire out of sight, he might have never found him. He had made some distance away from his crashed ship.

The Cardassian crept slowly toward the signaling smoke of the fire, cautious and curious about his enemy. The Bajoran was wrapped in many layers of some native plant on Bajor resembling hemp. He had found a side cave in the hills near as big as a mountain and rocky as one. His face was covered in scarves save for a pair of shockingly attractive eyes such a shade of blue they almost looked violet. He was going painfully slow because the Cardassian could see he had attempted to treat an injured leg. He hadn't been as fortunate in his landing as the Cardassian. He had already seen for himself that his ship was totally useless.

The Cardassian let the Bajoran do the work of building up a good fire and waited until the other was relaxed enough to start dozing before he leaped from hiding and slammed into the enemy.

When the Bajoran felt the impact, it let out a yelp of fear and pain. The sound rattled the Cardassian because the voice was higher pitched and airier than expected. It made him stop before delivering a killing blow.

He ripped away the Bajoran's scarves and was taken aback. The Bajoran had been female this whole time and she was quite a specimen! Bajoran women were compatible with his species, oddly enough. In fact, many Cardassians found them quite a guilty pleasure. He was one of them and he had been stationed in space so long he hadn't laid eyes upon anything female in over a year.

She was a young woman with long and luscious hair the color of dark chocolate. No wonder her eyes had intrigued him, they had betrayed a little bit of her femininity. They were large with thick lashes. Her nose ridges were cute, and her lips were naturally pink and had a cupid's bow. Her skin seemed like fragile and impossibly smooth porcelain. Where he touched her cheek, she felt warm. She might be a little too warm.

She cursed him and he laughed. He understood Bajoran but her knowledge of his language was strictly limited on purpose. Cardassians didn't want their slaves to know what transpired between their masters. She moved away from his touch and demanded that he kill her, but he knew he wouldn't. He had just won a strange game of fortune. This female was quite a prize!

He placed his gray lips on her pink ones, planting a first kiss. She squirmed in his grasp. He didn't want to waste time and energy on a long drawn out fight that would cause injury to them both. She was already hurt. He placed one of her hands close enough to the fire that she felt its heat but wasn't scorched. She understood the veiled threat well enough. She wanted a quick death, not an agonizing fiery end.

Even with the threat of violence, she involuntarily tried to pivot from him, to crawl and flee from him. He didn't blame her. The Cardassians had invaded her planet and been less than kind to her people. She must be terrified he was a sadist and not just a lonely reptilian man. She expected execution after a little bit of rape. It was why she had been hiding her face, but he wasn't planning on harming her. He wanted to keep her as long as possible and would release her before letting his superiors or comrades hurt her. He silently promised himself that he wouldn't harm her unless his life was in danger.

He said soothing Cardassian words to try to calm her. He wouldn't let on that he knew Bajoran as long as he could. It added to the fun! His tone communicated his message, but the girl kept defying him. He drew restraints from his belt. It was fiber that constricted the more the subject struggled. Eventually she would be too uncomfortable to struggle anymore. She shouted an impressive string of obscenities at the sight of them.

He bound her ankles and then tied her wrists behind her back. He kissed each of her fingers as he performed that task, and he felt her shuddering with revulsion. She splayed her fingers and curled them, trying to avoid his eager lips. He loosened her hair from its crude ponytail and combed it out with his fingers, gathering up and kissing a lock of that too. It tasted of smoke, but he didn't mind. It was soft and felt good on his skin.

Knowing she was helpless, the girl began to sob and plead for her life and dignity. If his comrades were here, they would have held her down and taken turns with her. Cardassians were notorious for seizing the women of Bajor and forcing them to become comfort women for their soldiers. Few female Cardassians left their home planet. They allowed female soldiers but there was a heavy penalty and personal risk if they attempted to harass them. There was no penalty for assaulting aliens and they were a sexually aggressive species.

His own unit had captured a couple women once. They were no soldiers, simply refugees trying to escape to Starfleet or anywhere but Cardassian controlled space. Each man was allowed only five minutes before the officer stole the prettier girl for himself. The rest of the soldiers were grunts far too low on the totem pole to be granted comfort women unless they had directly captured a girl for themselves. He had barely been able to participate and did it simply because his fellow soldiers would have scoffed at him otherwise. The girl was clearly in pain and he got no enjoyment from the task. The girl was attractive, and the sensation was more pleasant than he thought, but he knew what they were doing was wrong.

The officer declared the other girl unfit. He gave no good reason for it and sliced the girl's throat even though he had begged his superior to allow him to keep the girl. Why the hell did they need to cut her like that after violating her so? What a waste! When they all turned their backs, he had used a regenerator to heal the girl's wound hastily. He had saved her life, but he wasn't sure if she actually made it to anyplace safe.

This Bajoran knew the brutal habits of Cardassian soldiers and nothing could stop him. She was a prisoner of war. Cardassians had no stipulations about this even if the rest of the galaxy did. But he wanted to do his best to make their relations pleasant. He knew her species was more than compatible; they actually enjoyed sex as much as Cardassians. Her fever and leg needed treatment and he was not as brutal as she thought he was.

He had brought a small parcel of his supplies. He laid down his bedroll near the fire. He laid her down carefully and began to examine her wound. She lurched when he touched it. He was surprised she had made the climb to this place with what was clearly a compound break of her calf bone. She must have used rope and incredible strength of will to set the bone back in place and get herself here. Some of the bone was splintered, though, and it looked painful.

He gave her a utensil to bite down on. She realized he was helping her and nodded, clamping her jaw down and squeezing her eyes shut. First he used iodine to clean the wound. Her squeal was muffled. Then he tried to set the bone, including the splinters, into better place. She howled through the pain and nearly passed out. Lastly he used a regenerator, something he had the luxury of carrying but she clearly didn't, to seal it up and heal her skin without the need for crude stitches. He had a splint for her as well.

She was confused by his kindness. Why had he bothered to treat her if he meant to execute her or torment her? He patted her cheek and then heard her stomach growl. As a warm blooded creature, she required more meals than he did. He searched her cave but found empty ration packets. She must have used the last of them already. She had only a pittance of fresh water left. He pulled her up into a sitting position and opened a packet of his rations and motioned for her to open up. He'd feed her if she allowed it.

She looked suspicious but hunger gnawed cruelly at her belly. She relented and he fed her like a child. Food offerings were one of the oldest tricks in the book to win over reluctant mates! Her fear of him was weakening. Cardassians didn't waste rations on Bajorans, they stole from them. He even gave her a sweet treat he would have normally hoarded for himself. He helped brush loose tendrils of hair from her mouth and wiped water droplets from her lip that spilled a bit from his water canteen.

He wasn't very hungry. He was distracted with her. He used spare water and a rag to wash her face. Her breath came out shaky and fearful again but he murmured in his soothing tone. He felt her forehead again. She was still a bit too warm. He gave her an aspirin and another sip of water. Then he washed her neck and the hollow in her throat. Once cleaned, he nibbled at it as he pressed his fingers to her lips. She let out a sigh and he was thrilled by that mere little sound. Her skin was soft, warm, and exactly what he needed.

The girl seemed to remember that he was the enemy. She threw herself back from his searching fingers and lips. He laughed and admired her resolve! He wasn't discouraged by it at all. He watched her try to roll away then seized her by the shoulders. He pulled her into his lap and began to stroke and massage her back and shoulders. He kept nuzzling her neck with the ridges of his face. He tried to place a finger in her mouth and she bit it.

He stopped his advances, but he chuckled to himself. That bite seemed dangerously close to a playful bite rather than a bite meant to inflict maximum damage! It was a nice little test. Cardassians could tolerate an enormous amount of pain. In fact, the teeth graze had tickled rather than hurt.

He made her lay down again on the bedroll. Her eyes flashed and she struggled so much against her bindings, her wrists began to bleed. The Cardassian shook his head at her and loosened them a bit so they'd stop biting her flesh and utilized the regenerator again. He placed their weapons far away in a place in the cave she couldn't see dismantled as an extra precaution. Then he showed her his hands, free of anything threatening.

He kept his clothes on and didn't tug at hers. He placed a separate blanket around her. He wasn't going to try anything, but he needed to snuggle her for warmth. He showed her a vein in his wrist and rubbed a finger along it, reminding her he was cold blooded. She let out a frustrated groan but she couldn't resist him, could she? He lay down on his side and cuddled her in his arms. Her feverish skin was better than his thermal blanket and it was soft, smooth, and fragrant with the unique smell of a woman. She was so exhausted from her ordeal she fell asleep quicker than him. He slept better than he had since they crashed here together.


	2. Chapter 2

She woke him hours later and he was still pleasantly warm thanks to her body heat. Her fever seemed to have gone down and the fire was dead. She was desperate to go to answer a call of nature but she was bound. She hated requiring assistance, especially for such a thing, but nothing could help it.

He understood what she needed well enough when she started hopping around. He fetched his weapon, reassembled it, and then he unclasped her legs and hands and rubbed them to help her get a normal feeling to them again. Then he helped her walk towards some shrubs along the hillside that would grant her some semblance of privacy. He stayed far enough away he wouldn't see anything untoward and yet he was close enough that he could fire a shot if she got it into her head to run.

Luckily, as a Cardassian man, all he needed to do was piss off the edge with his back turned a few moments. The girl didn't run. The Cardassian kept her weapon and supplies. The moon was void of sentient aliens that might help her but it was full of wild creatures. Her leg would take a couple weeks to heal.

She waved the other down when she was finished. He considered binding her and she feared he would. He kept his weapon trained on her and led her back to her makeshift camp. He tossed her the last of his breakfast packets, forgoing eating again. He was running dangerously low. He'd have to go hunting and bind her again at some point. He was hoping to establish some sort of trust here, but that was going to be near impossible. He was probably being too nice for their good.

The Bajoran considered trying to seduce him and grabbing for his weapon and killing him. He had shown clear interest in her. He was a Cardassian and they were always deviant and perpetually horny. It would be so easy, but she couldn't stomach the thought. Her hatred was smoldering in her violet eyes and then she recalled that these were his rations she was biting down on right in the moment. She hadn't seen him eat a morsel of food yet.

He was going to try to communicate with her through an amusing game of charades when a storm broke seemingly out of nowhere. The wind picked up in enormous force and meteorite shower began to raid down upon them. The Cardassian yanked her arm and pulled her into the shelter of the cave. On top of the deadly rocks falling from the sky, there was lightning flashes and the wind sounded like deafening thunder.

The girl was trying not to display it, but she was afraid. The Cardassian was terrified and pretending to be brave. Neither convinced the other. He was relieved that his ship was mostly covered and wouldn't likely be further damaged if the storm was even passing over the valley down below.

Stumbling around in the dark, she found her weapon and began trying to discreetly put it back together. The Cardassian's superior sight and hearing picked up the little noises, differentiating it from the racket of the storm. She cursed and he was on her fast, prying the pieces from her, wresting the main piece away, and knocking her down to the cave floor.

He hadn't wanted to do this, but she forced it on him. He bound her wrists and ankles again. If he was given currency for every instance that she cursed him, he would have become the richest man in the galaxy over time.

"Oh, for the love of Cardassia, will you shut up?" he exploded.

"Am I finally getting on your nerves?" she didn't understand him, but he understood her. "Damned spoon-head!"

He put a finger to his lips in a universal shushing gesture.

"No, I'm not going to shut up! You're loving this, aren't you, you sick bastard? Untie me and release me!"

He was going to have to gag her just to get some quiet. She was louder than the storm! He had engineering tape that he used to silence her, giving her a smack of his lips before he did it to provoke her. She protested, but the tape did its work well. He laughed at her until his sides nearly split.

She was right. He was enjoying this. The girl couldn't really win. She had no idea that Cardassian culture encouraged their women to play hard to get. The harder they played, the harder their males fell for them! Those that tired of the game relied on Bajoran comfort women precisely for that reason. There were sentimental Cardassians that wanted wanton and easy girls. They liked soft poetry and kind words. He was an interesting case of a Cardassian man that loved sweet talk but rough action.

He wondered what her preference was. So far his kindness made her cooperative but not attracted to him. He searched through her things for pictures of family or lovers. She had nothing like it. He gingerly reached out and held her beautiful dangling Bajoran earring in her single pierced ear. They usually contained a family crest but hers was rather plain. It contained Bajoran scripture. That must be a sad indication that she had no family.

"Don't touch that!" she said fiercely. "It's sacrilege for you to touch that, snake? But you couldn't possibly understand! You're a godless heathen!"

He nibbled her ear and she tried to kick him with her bound legs.

"Don't do that either!"

He grinned.

"Stop smiling at me!

He wanted to know more about her and he knew she wouldn't be eager to tell him. Had she always been a rebel? Had she been someone's comfort woman and escaped?

Cardassians branded their women. They had the sophistication to give them identifying chips and branding was quite medieval and painful and humiliating to the girl. However, they did it to ward off other Cardassians. Soldiers would forget to scan for the chip but a gaudy branding plainly on the woman's skin would be undeniable. They wouldn't be prosecuted for raping a Bajoran, but they would be punished for stealing another man's property and the severity depended upon how high the officer ranked that they had offended.

If his unit had found such brands on the women they found, they would have been forced to identify the markings and search the files for their owner in case he wanted his woman back. Sometimes they didn't want the girl but demanded she be executed. If their master was dead, which was often the case these days; the girl could be reassigned and rebranded. Even escaped or orphaned comfort women kept their brand just to make Cardassians hesitate to touch her. It was both an arousing and repulsive sight to Cardassians.

He began to remove the layers of clothing she wore, searching for her brand. A lovely woman like this must have belonged to someone. She wailed against the tape for him to stop. No good. He was going to finish his investigation. It was also getting roasting hot despite the storm so he was doing her a favor. He'd need to eventually take off his clothes. He had already removed his armor last night.

Damn, she had like four layers of clothing on! The first was the sad and ugly sack she used as a coat. Next were a long jacket, then a blouse and trousers. Finally he got to her underclothes. He let her keep those on for now. Usually the brands weren't in those sensitive spots. The most common area was between the shoulder blades or the small of a woman's back. It would be distinctive red or black Cardassian glyphs as legible as possible upon skin rather than paper.

He was pleasantly surprised that she bore no such markings. If she had them, she had removed them with the aid of a doctor or cosmetic surgeon. In her position, though, he didn't see where she could have found that and couldn't have possibly been able to afford it. Unlike Cardassian military, Bajoran freedom fighters received no pay. They were fighting for survival not for money, rank, title, not even for good old fashioned patriotism. She couldn't even afford a lacy or good quality brassier. Hers was leather scraps she must have salvaged and sewn herself.

She was crying angry and desperate tears from her eyes. He rubbed them away and filled his eyes with the sight of her now that his pressing curiosity about the brand was dealt with. She was a combination of ivory and pink. She was smooth, curvy in all the right places, and shivering with sheer terror and glistening with sweat. He wanted to rip the last pieces of pathetic clothing away but he didn't.

"No, no," those Bajoran words were easy enough that any dumb Cardassian could pick them up. "No tears. No harm."

"Fuck off, Cardassian scum!" she replied when he removed the tape.

He put fresh tape over her mouth again and removed all of his clothing. He had nothing to be ashamed of. As a soldier, he had no choice but to have a body in shape and action ready. She evaded her eyes and turned away from him. He was disappointed because he wanted her to see everything. Maybe she might actually like what she saw?

He splashed water over his scales and skin and splashed her to tease her and cool her. That caused her to cock her head at him to give him an angry look and instead she got the eyeful she had been so deliberately avoiding. She reddened and looked away again. He laughed.

When the storm finally died down and the environment became more temperate, he took both weapons, left the girl still bound in the cave, and he hunted down mammalian rodents not unlike rabbits. He also filled their water containers from a stream nearby after testing its toxicity. It would have to be boiled for certain, but it was drinkable. He impaled the catch upon his long knife and carried it back up to the cave proudly.

He unbound the girl and gestured to the fresh kill and then to the fire pit. She realized if she wanted to partake, she was expected to help. She resented being given chores but she was glad for her freedom of movement. She put her blouse and trousers back on and got the fire going quicker than he might have while he butchered and prepared the animals. With her nose ridges, she sniffed out some wild growing plant edibles to supplement their gamey meal. They would starve slowly on a diet consisting only of protein. Cardassians were omnivores like Bajorans even if they relied on meat slightly more.

They ate in silence. She must have decided she didn't want to be gagged or have her mouth sealed with tape again. He made sure she ate the plants first in case she was trying to poison him. She had more experience with botany than he did. By now she had insulted him in every way a Bajoran could countless times. It lost its power when she was convinced he couldn't understand. She was also starting to hate him a little less with each hour.

He was glad he had kept her around. She was proving useful and not just eye candy. As dusk approached, she set up her bedroll and then sat to pray to her Prophets. The Cardassian watched with mild fascination as she went into peaceful trance. Cardassians were secular and persecuted Bajorans for their religion as well as their inferior race. He found her chants beautiful and her gestures graceful. He noticed she walked on her splinted foot a little better after the session of meditation. Maybe there was something beneficial to their practices?

He gestured for her to come to him. She hesitated. All he wanted to do was check her leg. He pointed to it and she lifted up her trouser leg. He studied it critically and it did seem to be healing nicely. It was a little swollen and red, but Bajorans were tougher than he gave them credit for.

She held out her hand with a little surprise for him. He was puzzled and suspicious, but then he realized she was offering him berries she had been saving for dessert. Since he had given her the last of his rations, she was paying him back in turn. The berries were bright orange and packed with vital nutrients. She ate one sensually to prove they weren't deadly but tart.

He smiled at her and ate the remainder of the berries out of her hand and licked the juices from the palm. He wanted more dessert and began to let his tongue snake up her wrist and she pulled away, snickering. She put on every article of clothing to bundle up and hide her beauteous figure from him. She motioned for him to join her at her side to sleep.

He obeyed, dragging his bedroll beside hers. He snuggled her as before, but he was more handsy than the last night. He reached around and squeezed her breasts through the layers. She reeled with shock, not pain. He was squeezing gently, exploring how large and firm her breasts were, seeing them with his hands and imagination. When he copped a feel on her, she wagged a finger at him.

He stopped, but he knew her will was weakening. They were making progress.


	3. Chapter 3

She shook him awake at dawn because it was getting noticeably warm and he was snoring with a mouth as wide and loud as a rutting dinosaur. Thanks to her nose ridges, she never snored unless her face was covered. He was becoming accustomed to sleeping in with a woman beside him.

He pulled her back into his arms for a while longer despite her squirming and protests. She managed to wriggle her way out and he snapped awake before she could do anything they'd regret, although, he realized, she could have done much while he slept. She hadn't been bound. He hid the weapons and each individual piece well, but she could have smashed his skull with a rock or plunged something sharp and jagged into his organs. She could have snapped his neck ridge. She either didn't want to risk him waking or she had decided they needed each other for now.

They ate any meat remaining from his previous hunt as well as some eggs she had spotted in a nest in the mouth of their cave. She boiled hers but he preferred his raw. She clenched her jaw in disgust as he chipped open an egg and slurped but she popped a grub in her mouth she spotted as they hunted. She shrugged when he stared at her. It was his manner that disgusted her, not the preference of food.

As he kept an eye out for animals, she filled her bag with roots, nuts, berries, and wild tubers or rice. She had crafted a digging stick and used the ancient method of sampling tastes to weed out obvious poisonous things. The Cardassian's equipment would test what she couldn't later. She also set up crude traps.

They both sensed a dangerous animal long before they saw it and fled back to the cave. The moon had begun its sweltering part of the day and the air tasted metallic. That could mean radiation which wouldn't hurt the Cardassian so much, that's what his scales were for, but over time could prove fatal to the Bajoran.

He realized they had not bathed in days. He led them both to the stream and stripped. She looked away again and crossed her arms in front of her breasts. When she tried to walk away, he shouted at her. He didn't tolerate her leaving his sight. She stomped her foot and he grabbed her and pulled her into the water as though she were a stubborn child refusing a bath. As long as the water didn't boil over at high noon, it would cool and clean them.

Her clothes were now soaking wet and they were all her clothes. She seethed in the cave.

"It's your fault for not taking off your clothes to begin with!" he said in Cardassian.

She didn't understand.

"It's starting to get cold again. You'll need to take them off or risk catching something."

She didn't care to understand.

As freezing night fell, though, and her clothes were not drying, she began to shiver. Freezing rain prevented them from building a fire. They might actually be in trouble here. They moved the hearthstones inside the cave and managed to get a lick of flame and heaved sighs of relief. It took some magic from the Bajoran's skilled rubbing of flint that the Cardassian provided and some oil, once again provided by him. His lighter had run out of juice ages ago and he hated to dismantle something they needed and couldn't put back together again.

The girl peeled away most of her wet clothes and covered herself in a blanket, but she was shuddering violently. The Cardassian pulled her into his lap close by the fire. She needed to warm up. He needed to borrow her warmth from her inner furnace. Maybe it was time to stoke that fire.

He nuzzled her neck and she didn't react. She seemed sleepy and apathetic. He squeezed her breasts again and she was so focused on twisting away her upper body, he took advantage and reached one hand down between her legs to squeeze that part of her.

Her gasp at that was almost an outright cry of alarm. He let out a moan of desperate need in her ear. She squeezed her eyes and legs shut. She felt so especially warm down there despite her shivering and clammy skin.

He sucked on her earlobe as he pulled at her last remaining clothes impatiently. She babbled in Bajoran, pleading again. He stopped and she seemed relieved. The truth was he wanted to discard his clothes first. She must have felt his member bursting to get free from his trousers, grinding into her like an insistent dull knife. As long as he wasn't touching her, she had temporary but short lived respite.

He took off his belt and she paled at the sound of it. He was flashing onyx colors in his scales and ridges, broadcasting his desire. It caught her attention and curiosity for a second until she saw his member and became terrified.

"Oh, fuck me!" she didn't mean it literally.

"I am going to fuck you, beautiful Bajoran woman," he grinned at her.

"You speak Bajoran fluently? And you have been able to do it this whole time?" she screeched.

"Speak little, understand more," he feigned some ignorance still.

"No means no," she spoke dismal Cardassian and he was almost certain they were some of the only words she knew.

"I can't accept that. Do you know how long it's been since I had a woman? I've never seen a woman quite like you before and you have been tantalizing and teasing this entire time. I've held myself back too long now. You are going to get sick if you don't warm up. This is the only possible way I can do that for you with my physiology. You've kept me warm. It's my turn to return the favor. What is your name?" he dropped all pretenses.

Her eyes flashed, "I'll never tell you!"

"I'll get it out of you someday."

With that, she ripped into the last layers of clothing she wore. She wailed for him to stop. She was changing prayers, demanding that her silly gods strike him down for her. He almost told her that had never worked for any Bajoran woman before when a Cardassian got a hold of her but thought better of it.

"You want this deep down," he whispered as she shook her head insistently. "You gave me those berries. You've let me fondle you a little before; taking little steps that ultimately lead to this. What's the shame in it? I promise I won't harm you."

"You're Cardassian!"

"That doesn't matter on this moon. As soon as we landed here, only survival has mattered."

"You're just like all the others of your kind! Don't do this to me!"

"If I were like them, you'd be dead."

"I should have killed you!"

"You didn't. Why? Because you have become fond of me."

"No!"

"You like this," he teased a nipple with his fingers.

"No!" she hissed, but her body responded.

"You like this?" he tickled her ribs a little with his other hand, reaching his fingers down past the pubic hair.

"No!" it was a helpless moan now.

"I think it's been a long time for you too. No Cardassian has had you. You weren't branded when I searched you the other day. I wasn't trying to rape you."

"You were waiting to do it now, apparently!" she snapped.

He sucked like a starving man on her breast. He almost wished she was a young mother and could give him milk. Her flesh was sweet enough. She let out a cry and forgot about her Prophets.

"You're so lovely!" he stroked her cheek and stole a kiss. "I'm glad we crashed here together! It was worth it for this!"

"For you, maybe!" she said. "Don't do this, please!"

He replied by suckling her other breast and placing his teeth delicately around the nipple, using them to pull, graze, and twist until she begged him to stop but with a strained voice. Then he licked the outline of it. He hadn't broken skin, just teased. Did she think he was that cruel type, really?

"Has any Cardassian bit you or bruised you before?" he asked with concern. "Maybe they didn't get a chance to brand you."

"I've avoided you bastards before!"

"I'm your first Cardassian?" he beamed with triumph. "I'm honored!"

"Not my first lover, though!" she insisted. "Don't be so damn proud!"

He nibbled at her down there. She cursed so loud.

"Do the Bajoran boys bother to kiss you there?" he jeered.

"You sick snake!"

He swiveled his tongue on her sensitive little bud, delighted by it. Cardassian women had nothing like it. The existence of it proved that Bajoran women were made for pleasurable sex.

"Please!" she moaned.

"Please what? Please continue?" he moved his tongue rapidly and rhythmically against her.

"Please stop!" she squeezed her thighs, trying to discourage him, but he loved the pressure of soft legs against his ridges. She had no clue they were erogenous.

He inserted his tongue and tasted her. She threw her head back and began to moan when he used his fingers on her clitoris because his tongue was busy inside her. He was relentless and could tell no Bajoran boy had done this for her or certainly not properly. He'd show her what she was missing. Stupid, soft, ungrateful idiots her men must be! No Bajoran deserved the privilege of her body if they couldn't even do this simple thing for her!

She came, despite her resistance. He was too skilled. He withdrew as she suddenly became so much wetter. He inserted his finger into her tightness and then another easily. Every slight movement made her writhe. She was panting desperately, her eyes sultry and half closed, her face was bright red.

"Oh, you're so beautiful!" he kissed her again. "You're so sexy! Who are you, woman?"

"I'm-I'm not yours!"

He roared with laughter, "We're still not there yet? I'm not giving up!"

He wasn't idiotic enough to try to shove himself inside her mouth. She'd bite down and he'd deserve it. He was acting like an animal and she would respond in kind. He might never trust her enough for that. He just couldn't help himself. He was beyond his limit. She had been teasing him subconsciously and their mutual pheromones acted upon both of them. Cardassians could smell those better than Bajorans.

He settled with laying her down upon the bedroll and placing his member between her breasts and rubbing them there. He loved those perfect mounds of flesh almost more than the rest of her!

When he came between them, she must have thought he was done. She heaved a sigh of relief and perhaps even with a bit of disappointment. She smirked at him and he smirked back.

"If I were Bajoran I might stop now," he informed her. "Bajorans have no stamina!"

"What?" her look was priceless.

He began to rub her opening and she panicked.

"Wait, please don't do that!" she sobbed. "I don't want a hybrid! No!"

"Lucky for you, I'm sterile!"

"What sort of disease-"

"No known venereal disease jumps between our species!"

"But you'll rip me!"

"You said you weren't a virgin!"

"I'm not, but there's a size difference!"

"I'm bigger?"

"Fucking yes, Cardassian? Satisfied, you smug reptile?"

"Far from it, but I will be!"

He eased in the tip and she wailed in defeat, not pain. She was tight but she wasn't that tight. Damn, she was wet and so wonderfully warm. He had never felt anything remotely so good. He was in no hurry to move as he teased them both like that for a while. Then he eased the length of the shaft in until he was full inside her. She seemed to relax now that there was nothing left to fight for.

He lay on top of her, savoring the sensation and kissing her all over. She was still and silent, in slight awe herself. He hadn't ripped her and he didn't seem to be too large. Her body seemed to ache for it, in fact. She wondered if some of what he had been saying was true. She didn't want to be attracted to him because he was the enemy and this was what all Cardassians seemed to expect from her. Now that it was happening, it wasn't the end of the world. It wasn't the end of anything.

"I may be a believer in your Prophets now! Are you in pain, darling?"

She was too resentful to answer.

"Please, girl, give me your name," he kissed her lips and wondered if he could breathe the word in from her mouth.

"Never."

"Maybe I'll give you a Cardassian name?"

"Fuck off!" that suggestion infuriated her.

He thrust suddenly and roughly. She groaned along with him. He repeated the action again and again. Then he abandoned all control. He thrust as hard or gently as he pleased at whatever pace he wanted. She was moaning and crying, but it was in pleasure. Her body seemed tamed.

She came again long before he did and when he did, he didn't withdraw right away. He stayed inside as long as he could, until her muscles released him and he softened enough that he slipped away. Damn, he had never had such a powerful orgasm. She was breathless like him for a while. Her flesh was hot as fire. It felt and tasted sweeter than life itself.

"Caius," he told her his name. "I wish you'd tell me who you are."

"Let me go and maybe I'll say. You're finished with me now, right?"

"Give me a short nap and I can continue to torture you."


	4. Chapter 4

He woke before she did for once. She looked peaceful and he didn't want to disturb her. He searched for blood or signs of injury he might have accidentally caused her, but she seemed unscathed. He wanted to wake her with another bout of lust, but he wasn't certain how she'd react to that. She had bucked and moaned enough with him last night, but he wasn't sure if she'd tolerate a repeat.

"Who will come for us first, Caius?" she asked, revealing she had merely been pretending to be asleep as he tried to make up his mind.

He was pleasantly surprised that she used his name. She supposed that she was growing tired of calling him 'Cardassian' or 'spoon-head'. He was likewise tired of calling her 'woman' or 'girl'. She had also reminded him that someone would certainly come looking for them eventually and that might not be a good thing. He wanted a more temperate climate but he was enjoying his company.

"My people are the most likely option."

"Don't be so sure. We Resistance fighters can track each other in ways you have no clue about."

"Very good, my beauty, but my military have far more ships and resources to scour the quadrant."

"Your people would kill me and torture me."

"Would they? Well, yours would do the same to me. Actually, mine wouldn't kill you if you cooperate. I can claim you as mine and they won't harm you. Your people would have me executed for the crimes of my officers."

"You raped me hours ago, Caius!" she snapped.

"I didn't hurt you. I could have killed you the moment I found you."

"Maybe you should have and you would have if I wasn't a female you could fuck!" she accused.

"You are right. If you were male I wouldn't have hesitated, but when I took off your scarves I saw a woman. I didn't care if you were Cardassian or Bajoran, I saw a potential mate. It is a double standard. I'm not denying that. I fear I have always had a weakness for women."

"Your officers won't let you keep me, Caius, you know that. I am obviously not some poor girl you snatched from a camp somewhere. I shot you down on this moon. They will want to know all about the rest of my cell. Unless you are of some high rank?"

"No, unfortunately."

"I thought so."

He chose to ignore her little dig. He also knew she was right about what she said and a lump came to his throat. He didn't want her taken from him or her body broken by torture. His officer had a comfort woman already but there were so many that outranked him. He was always the lowest ranked male wherever he transferred. It wasn't fair but he knew the reasons why.

"What if neither of them find us?" he brought up a third scenario.

"We will have to survive and find our own way."

"To where, my beauty?"

"To a Bajoran colony, ideally."

"Yeah, sure, because I will be so welcome there!" he said sarcastically.

"I'm not going to Cardassia Prime!"

"With enough time, and if you don't kill me in my sleep, I could salvage something of my ship. I can set our course to neutral territory. Then you and I can go our separate ways."

"Is that actually possible?" she looked hopeful.

"You'll have to keep me from getting too cold or lonely at night."

"Ugh!"

"Come now, my beauty, I wasn't so bad, was I? Did you sleep deep and dream of me like I did of you?"

"I hate you, Caius!"

"At least you have a name to hate. I'll give you a Cardassian name like I threatened if you keep refusing."

"No insulting alien names, alright? My name is Cara. Are you happy now?"

He smiled, "I'm getting there, Cara."

"How far away is your ship? Mine is half a kilometer away."

He pointed down to the valley.

"Maybe there are circuits or parts in my ship that you could use to repair your own?" she suggested.

"We'll have to travel there and I'll take a look. I doubt we'll find spare parts lying around this moon otherwise."

They dressed and gathered gear for the trip. Her clothes had finally dried thanks to the fire and the freezing rain had stopped. Caius realized he could take his armor off and use it as a shield if there was a shower of rocks again. He hoped the heavy black chest piece would hold.

"May I have my weapon back?" Cara asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I can't defend myself without it! When we hunted before, we were close to shelter. If we are going so far, I need to be as capable as you."

"I'll protect you."

"You can't keep your eyes on me and the terrain at all times! Predators rely on stealth strikes. You should know, Caius! You're an apex predator! I need my weapon or you'll get us both killed!"

"Fine, but I think you should earn it."

"And how?"

He kissed her and she nipped his lip with a growl, warning him to back off.

"I guess you don't want your weapon then."

She got immensely angry. She tossed the fire pit stones at him in her rage and cursed in Bajoran and Cardassian. Those were the first words her people heard and absorbed from his kind. He was terribly amused by the display and dodged the stones easily. The trajectory was off and he knew that wasn't a mistake.

Caius knew that she could never win. The game was fixed in his favor. She clearly had no engineering skills and she knew her chances of survival with him were far better than they were without him. She burned off her steam in her tantrum and then sat cross legged on the ground and pouted.

He waited out her show then pulled her back to his bedroll that he hadn't yet packed. Cara didn't waste energy fighting him this time. She wanted her weapon back. How much more could Caius require satiating his fetish? That's all this was: Indulging a fetish until it was boring and normal.

They had only just put their clothes back on but they were gone quickly. Cara pretended she was dazed and elsewhere. His kisses were insistent. He wanted her here, seeing him, feeling him, and enjoying herself as much as he was. Why be ashamed or fight?

Since her eyes kept glazing anyway, he positioned her on all fours and took his place behind her. She was grateful that he chose that position. She could imagine that he was a Bajoran comrade and take secret pleasure without betraying herself and granting him more victories.

He tugged her hair, but he was careful not to pull hard. He raked his nails down her spine, making her skin sing. He kissed her shoulders, rocked her hips against his, and he squeezed her firm backside, muttering Cardassian endearments rather sweetly for a reptilian monster. He never succumbed to the urge of smacking her ass like her previous lovers. She was glad for that. He was more respectful than they were.

_I can't fucking believe I just thought that! _Cara scolded herself. _He's the enemy! Get a hold of yourself! Don't let him fuck your brains out!_

Despite herself, she gasped and moans of pleasure escaped her throat. She arched herself to get better motion, access, and deeper penetration. His scales were surprisingly smooth, not abrasive and harsh. They felt different than Bajoran ridges but might actually be an improvement. She found the ridges rough at times. His scales were like a subtle ribbing along all sides of his shaft and seemed to produce natural lubricant of his own. In reality, it was his pheromones encouraging her to make more.

He lost himself in his lust like last time. He lifted her up and pressed her against the softer and flatter limestone of the cave wall. He devoured her lips as he pressed his full muscular body against her soft smooth one, and he twined his fingers with hers. She parted her lips in invitation, or at least, he took it as such. It was a huge risk and testing their trust.

He invaded her mouth with his tongue, groaning into it with pleasure and triumph. She'd never let him kiss her this deep and bit anything passing between her lips before. She touched her own candy tongue to his in full surrender. His tongue wasn't forked like a snake, but it was longer and more pointed than a Bajoran. It was talented and probing. No wonder he made her cum so quickly last night!

As he wrapped her legs around him, they gazed at each other. Violet eyes matched gray eyes. The serpents in the myths were always seductive and hypnotic. Cardassians were that way in reality. He caressed her thighs and then entered her again. He thrust inside slow and sweet. She laid her head tenderly on his shoulder, clutching him around his back, her long hair brushing against his ridges. He didn't speed up until she begged him to. Then he adjusted her back to a missionary position and brought them both to release.

They had lost sense of time in that cave. It was cool and getting dark when Caius handed her the weapon she had requested back to her. It was fixed so she could only stun someone or something. She wasn't happy about that, but a part of him had a nagging feeling she had been too eager to earn it back. He was still fearful.

The trek to Cara's crashed remains of a fighter ship was a long journey on foot. Cara's leg was improving, but they were slowed by it. They found a pool of water along the way. He tested it and stooped to fill their containers and quench his thirst.

He heard weapon fire and though he should be dead for a terrible moment. When he rose and searched himself, there was no injury, but there was a slaughtered beast too close for comfort. It was a gray scaled reptilian predator lying in wait for thirsty prey like him. Cara had shot it directly in the eye and reached its brain with impressive precision.

He realized now that she was much smarter than he knew. She had switched their weapons somehow during the hike so that she had the real fire power and he had the neutered weapon. He was a bit embarrassed. He should have noticed the change in weight at the very least. He was also grateful that she could have easily shot him in the back or allowed the beast to make a meal of him. He might have even deserved such a fate, but she had saved him.

Cara said nothing about the incident. He kept his mouth shut because he was certain even thanking her could set her off and make her change her mind about how valuable his life was. She began to skin and butcher the animal, showing off her knife work. He fiddled with the settings on his weapon then nonverbally helped her at the task of storing the choice meat they could carry.

"This beast is ugly. Is he a primordial ancestor of yours?" she joked to ease the tension.

"Who knows?" he shrugged. "Think we'll find lemurs or monkeys that look like you on this moon?"

She laughed and he guarded her as she drank her fill of water.


	5. Chapter 5

Caius was very pleased that Cara's ship had vital parts he needed to repair his own after all. He had been most worried about the engine and power source. The rest of her craft was far too damaged for flight. It had broken up in the stratosphere and been further damaged by the meteorite storms. They were lucky the critical parts were salvageable. He extracted them and wrapped them in leafy greens to cushion them for the journey back. They decided to remain in the shelter of what was left of the ship, barricading it from predators with scrap metal and rocks.

She didn't protest when he straddled her in the pilot's chair.

"Will you let me love you again?" he asked, toying with her clothes but not tearing them off.

"What's this, Cardassian?" she raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking permission? Now? What's the point after you've had me more than once without a care for my consent?"

He caressed her face, his eyes pleading for confirmation, and then he nuzzled her with his ridges, demanding affection. She ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. He would take her non-verbal reciprocation gladly and he took off her clothes so he could pleasure her with his mouth again.

Once she had her climax, she made them switch places and began to straddle him after yanking his trousers down. She pinched his chest scales as she eased herself over him and let him slide inside her. He let her set the pace as he watched her breasts in her display of passion. He brushed aside the curtain of her brown hair and kissed them, unable to resist with them right in his face like that, begging to be pet. Their cries began to mingle, rising and falling sometimes together and sometimes separate until they were exhausted.

She remained in his lap as they talked. He told her of his childhood, family, schooling and military career thus far. She explained the terrible conditions of her life on Bajor. He realized he knew only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the crimes his comrades were committing and she was aghast at the treatment Cardassians had to their own soldiers.

"I was one of the middle children in a family of seven in Lakat," Caius explained. "I was nowhere near the eldest nor was I one of the adorable babies. I was the forgotten and neglected son unless I stirred trouble so I did that often. My parents sent me away to live with a strict uncle but my aunt showed me the kindness I lacked. She was an engineer and I would spend most of my time with a wrench and wires in my hands watching and imitating her. That is considered a woman's profession on my planet, however. I wasn't ever 'manly' enough for my father and uncle."

"What about your peers?"

"Tradition, patriotism, and hierarchy are hammered into us from birth, Cara. Questioning the status quo gets you in detention centers for youths and correctional camps once you are a teen. Few of my peers deviated from the mold because of thought control. They bullied me and I felt my only choice to prove myself of any worth was to join the military academy. The hazing was worse there and when my mandatory fertility results showed that I was sterile, it got nigh unbearable."

"Why?"

"My sterility was further proof to everyone that I was half a man. My parents treated me like a dead branch of the family tree. What use was I to their legacy if I couldn't give them grandchildren? I was a mediocre soldier and my engineering skills were only needed off planet."

"Didn't you ever make any friends or have any lovers?"

"The closest thing I ever had to a friend was Markus, a fellow soldier in my unit. He liked to think of himself as my mentor. He's younger than I and I hate him, but they kept pairing me with him. As for women, I don't exist to them on Cardassia and they barely exist in space."

"I was the only daughter of nine children," Cara began her story. "We lived in a remote mountain village most fellow Bajorans never heard of. Sokho was famous in the past for a woman that made beautiful pottery. The last of her apprentices died a century ago. I would climb the mountains every day looking for food and acting as a scout and lookout. My parents and brothers grew rice and beans in the valley below. We used to swim together in the mountain stream."

"No wonder you were able to get yourself to that cave with a broken leg!"

"Yep, it wasn't my first break either. My bones have always healed stronger each time. I was up in the mountains when Cardassians massacred the village. I watched them drag a few women out and separate the younger and more attractive girls from the rest. I hadn't even earned my family earring yet, as you can see for yourself. I hid and avoided capture. I lived alone until Resistance fighters found me. They explained to me why they separated the women like that: The pretty girls were meant to be comfort women, the plain ones were made house servants and workers."

"So there was no education for you and none of your family survived?"

"No, Caius. The village was bulldozed and the fields stripped bare. The stream was choked with bodies of my former family and neighbors."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely as he snuggled her. "Most of us soldiers in space have no real idea of the scale of the atrocities being carried out on your planet. They cover up those things even on Cardassia and justify anything that we do get wind of."

"You must tell them the truth!"

"I'd be shot dead before I could finish speaking, darling. I'm expendable. I'm a sterile soldier with no rank, talent, or voice. I'm supposed to be an obedient meat shield."

"Why would you return to such a life?" Cara questioned.

"It's my home and they are my people. Why would you bother to return to a planet being ravaged by war and fight a losing battle against such a superior force if you could simply escape it all?" he shot back. "You could join Starfleet like so many others are starting to do. You could live a peaceful life somewhere far away from all of this!"

"Bajor is sacred and my people are fighting a righteous cause, not invading someone else!"

"Is there a lover you are trying to get back to?" Caius hoped not.

She frowned, "When I couple with my comrades, it's only to keep myself from being too depressed to fight."

For some reason, he found that statement the most tragic thing she had said thus far and he knew that was strange. He hugged her close with water in his eyes. She showed no emotion, but she appreciated his closeness.

A storm passed over them, but they had noticed the increased smell of metal again and were prepared. They didn't flinch or balk like they had the first time. They were becoming accustomed to the moon's moods. They ate of the beast that would have made off with Caius, chatting for hours more.

"Will you teach me Cardassian?" she requested.

"Isn't it considered a demonic tongue to your people?" he replied.

"If we are separated, it will help me deal with other Cardassians that might capture me. It might even save my life."

"Good point."

"Out of curiosity, what sort of name would you have given me?"

"I was considering Kala."

"Hm," she wrinkled her nose ridges and smiled. "That's actually pretty close to Cara."

"What if you were to give me a Bajoran name?"

"One of my brothers was named Ciba. I would probably use that name," she confessed.

"What was your surname?"

"It no longer matters," she said with bitterness. "They're dead and gone. I didn't expect the Prophets to let me live this long. That's why I have scripture on my earring instead of an ordinary family crest. I didn't want your kind identifying me with it either."

"I suppose I understand. My clan all but disowned me."

"I never thought I'd find any sort of common cause with a Cardassian," Cara said more to herself than to him.

"If I teach you Cardassian, will you teach me your scriptures?"

"Why?" she emphasized the 'I' vowel.

"I want to meditate like you. It looks relaxing."

"I'm not a Vedek," she grumbled.

"What's that?"

She sighed, "A high priest. We usually have near a hundred of them. They are the teachers of our faith led by our Kai. Are you bored of this subject yet?"

"Go on."

"Do you have anything like a Kai or the Prophets on Cardassia?"

He shook his head, "Long ago in our past maybe. Religion divided our people and was considered worthless."

"You had to have at least remembered the names of gods or heroes in myths or legends."

"Those were deliberately erased, Cara. Esoteric matters are not useful in the here and now."  
"That's a pity. Religion unites my people and gives us meaning and hope."

"It also seems to help your leg," Caius stroked her calf. "I don't think you need this splint anymore."

"Trance does speed the healing process," she admitted. "It's amazing what subtle things concentration of the mind can do. Teach me Cardassian and I'll teach you my faith and techniques."

"Deal."

She pointed to the fire, "What is that called?"

"_Barev."_

"You shouted at me: _Yan-pret Cardăsa-çăk!_ What did that mean?"

"For the love of Cardassia."

"Is that a curse?"

"Pretty much."

"And how often did you call me a bitch under your breath?"

He grinned and replied, "Why would I put my foot in my mouth and tell you that?"

"I called you some vile things."

"I know. I heard and understood everything, Cara, but I deserved it."

"You might have deserved some of it but not all of it."

"That's generous of you, _Nari_."

"What does that mean?"

"It means: Beloved."

Her breath caught in her throat, "And how do Cardassians express tender feelings?"

"Like love?"

"Whatever," she was blushing.

"_Lorhoc çadav-ra edek_. That is close as we usually come and it means: I honor you. Why?"

"I was just asking."


	6. Chapter 6

They made the journey back to Caius' ship with little incident. It would take weeks for him to get it fully operational. He was severely limited by the bipolar environment. All of his engineering skills were challenged and he was melding alien technology with his standard one. He was hoping he would finish before anyone found them. He couldn't believe he was dreading rescue or extraction by the enemy. The line between friend and foe was becoming pretty thin these days, especially when he cast adoring glances at Cara. They made quite a good team.

She kept herself busy by scouting and hunting. She found the best sources of fresh water, edible plants, as well as breeding and nesting grounds of the local animals. She began to log and classify everything in both Cardassian and Bajoran, picking up the language marvelously fast. He was most eager to teach her the names of each part of the humanoid body, turning the language lesson into easy foreplay. He was having less luck with the mediation.

"I'm just closing my eyes and seeing the inside of my eyelids!" he said in frustration.

"Project your thoughts, see your desires in your mind's eye," she tried to instruct him.

"What I want is usually nearby whenever I open my actual eyes," he teased, reaching out and pinching her.

She slapped his hand, "You need to take this at least somewhat seriously, Caius!"

"You are right. I am sorry."

"Alright, now try to remove yourself back to a happy memory."

"Those a few and far in-between," he muttered.

"You said you had good times with your aunt. Picture her face. That should be no problem with your photographic brain."

"I'm doing that."

"Hold onto that image like your life depends on it!"

He sighed, his body feeling slightly warmer and tingling with fond childhood musings. Cara smiled, seeing the outward signs of his body relaxing.

"Speak the chant I taught you," she ordered. "If that takes you out of the moment, think them in your head instead."

"_Jia'kaja, tre'nu'tol'a rem... La'por i'lanu kos... I'nar tan'a'tali nor."_

He was terribly distracted when Cara began a prolonged sneezing fit. She sneezed seven times in a row. She almost stumbled because she wasn't prepared for the force. He noticed her nose ridges didn't seem congested but they were harder and stiffened more often than relaxed.

"Are you alright?" he steadied her.

"I'm fine."

"Are you coming down with something? We're running low on aspirin."

"I think I found an herb that has pain killing properties. I might boil it into a tea later. My lower back has been aching and so have my breasts."

"I have noticed they seem sensitive when we play."

He noticed that night at dinner that she was ravenous. She usually hated fungus of any kind. She collected it because she knew Caius loved it. She had the uncontrollable urge to try it. The smell was different and it affected the taste. She begged him for more.

"Are you sure you aren't sick?" he snatched his bowl away from her.

"I'm- _Achoo_!"

She launched into another sneezing fit. Every time she sneezed, it wasn't just one little sneeze. It was multiple sneezes that caused her ridges to whistle and Caius began to roar with laughter.

"What in the name of the Prophets is going on?" Cara asked aloud to herself.

She stood silent and still in contemplation as Caius watched her in puzzlement and more concerned for his mushrooms. Then her face screwed up in terrible distress when the obvious answer dawned on her.

"Caius, you got me with child!" she cried.

"How is that remotely possible?" his voice was just as shrill.

"This kind of sneezing is a symptom unique to my species in pregnant women! I haven't had a full cycle since we landed on this moon either! I thought that was from stress!"

Caius flushed pale gray as she got red with fury, "Maybe you are mistaken?"

"Shut your mouth, you lying serpent! You're not sterile! How dare you?"

She looked like she was about to pounce on him and wrap her fingers around his throat. He set his bowl down and raised his arms out in a gesture of helplessness.

"I swear on my aunt's life that I was told by the doctors that my physiology wasn't quite a match with others!"

"You mean with Cardassians! You're clearly more compatible with Bajorans! Are you certain your ancestors never bred with ours before?"

"If it happened, my family buried that secret. It might explain a lot of things if it were true though," Caius admitted.

"What am I going to do?"

"Do you want me to cut it out of you?" he asked reluctantly.

She was horrified at that, "There's no way you could do it without killing me! You're not a doctor, we have no medical equipment better than your regenerator, and this baby is attached to most of my major blood vessels by now! Bajorans carry their babies for five months. If you impregnated me the first few nights, I probably have little more than four more to go!"

"Don't discard it when it is born," Caius blurted.

"I thought your people hated hybrids more than us!"

"It might be my only chance to be a father," he answered softly. "I would be honored to raise offspring no matter what color it was or how many scales it lacked."

She would have never expected such words to come out of a Cardassian, but she didn't want to give her own feelings away.

"What if I don't want to give this baby up? It's part of me at the moment. By the time it is born, I may not be able to let it go."

"We don't have to fight over it," he reassured her. "We could raise it together as co parents."

She brooded on that. He pulled her into his arms. She was trembling with emotion, but she wasn't crying. Instead, there were tears in his eyes.

"What exactly are marriage customs on Bajor?" he ventured to ask.

"What are you saying?" she gasped.

"Cara, I want to marry you and raise our child."

"But why? And where?" she said wildly.

"There has to be a place! I want this to work, Cara! I love you!"

That broke the damn. She sobbed bittersweet tears. He kissed them away and she chanted some hymn to calm herself.

"There's a rumor of a colony of hybrids," she told him. "Before the Occupation began, there was brief period of peaceful exchange between our people. A small but sizable population began to grow. They fled or were expelled when the Occupation went into full swing. Bajorans said that any woman that willingly let a Cardassian touch her must be insane. Cardassians said their men that took wives of an inferior species were traitors."

"It never made sense to me," Caius rolled his eyes. "We're allowed to rape you but not to love you."

"The hybrids were slaughtered or exiled. Maybe your people have heard of this before? They are said to have started a colony outside Cardassian space. Maybe we could find it and start fresh lives there?"

"But if there was no baby, would you ever consider being with me?" he asked warily. "What if you lose it or it is born dead? I might still prove unfit to give you a healthy child."

To his utter joy and disbelief, she kissed him and said, "_Lorhoc çadav-ra edek, Nari."_

His eyes lit up and he said, "Do you want to practice having more babies?"

"You don't mind that I'm swollen with yours already?"

He clucked his tongue, "I thought Bajorans celebrated fertility as much as us!"

He kissed her lovingly as he stroked her abdomen. Neither of them ever thought they'd be in this sort of situation when they were hunting each other the first few hours on this moon. That seemed like a lifetime ago or in some separate universe. Cara had no real desire to be a mother before. Life on Bajor was hard and her Bajoran comrades weren't interested in more than night's embrace. Caius never thought he would ever have anything remotely like it available to him and certainly not with a Bajoran woman. The Prophets or the Universe or both were strange and mysterious.


	7. Chapter 7

Cara had roughly a month left to go before their baby was due to be born. The ship was nearly repaired but with her condition becoming cumbersome, Caius had to take time to care for her more than the ship. She needed more calories since she was eating for two or possibly three. She sewed baby clothes since she couldn't move around much while humming happily. She also organized and tired to preserve all the food they had gathered and hoarded for their time in space once they launched.

She told him she had a feeling there was more than one heart beating inside her and he became giddy with nervous excitement at that possibility.

"I almost wish I could rub that in my people's face!" he snickered. "Not only am I not sterile, I'm capable of multiples! Maybe it will be a whole litter of babies!"

"I sure hope not!" Cara moaned. "My body couldn't take it."

He woke in the middle of the night when he felt his body temperature dropping. The fire needed nursing. He complained as he went outside in the cold to collect kindling and his wife cried for him in her sleep when he pulled away. She was speaking both Bajoran and Cardassian, whichever phrasing sounded better to her ears in whatever situation she pleased. He was proud of her.

He thought he saw a domineering shadow pass over and the sounds of spacecraft hovering overhead, but when he looked up, he decided that he must have been dreaming. He didn't realize that there was someone looking for him. He returned to Cara within the ship where it was safe and warm. She was awake, missing him, and lulled them both to sleep with a Bajoran lullaby.

In the morning while it was still somewhat temperate outside, Cara went foraging for berries. She was craving nature's sweets and she had come to rely on those bright orange berries as a super food especially good for her pregnancy. They did have an irony aftertaste so she stooped near the banks of the nearby stream to wash out her mouth.

She froze when she saw the reflection of a Cardassian in the water behind her, but it wasn't Caius. This stranger looked far more monstrous. She could never mistake the two of them. She snatched a log from the water and tossed it at him and drew her weapon in her other hand. The Cardassian shot the log to splinters and with precision managed to shoot the weapon from her hand. Her skin was singed and made temporarily numb as she cried out in pain.

"What have we here?" the alien sneered at her.

"Caius!" she screamed for her mate.

"Ah, so my comrade is alive? Good!"

He had cruel yellow eyes in his face, more scaled and darker gray than the man she knew. She tried to run, but she wasn't as sprightly pregnant. The Cardassian was on her within a few lazy strides. She kept screaming wildly for Caius and the attacker squeezed her throat, blocking her wind pipe. He was strong and bruising her skin already.

"Silence, bitch!" he hissed. "I'm sure he heard you!"

"Please don't hurt us!" she choked out the words.

"Us? Why would I-" he stopped himself when he saw her protruding belly.

She wasn't severely round, but her condition was obvious. When the Cardassian spoke next, he spoke his native tongue. He had no idea Cara had been taught to speak it and nothing he said was beyond her.

"Oh, I see! Caius took pity on you and your whelp! I guess killing an unborn child is harder than a single woman, even if she is a terrorist! I wonder if all Bajorans are born terrorists. All the more reason to put you down once I have my fun with you, girl!"

"No!" she screamed, still speaking Bajoran, and struggling desperately for her life. "Don't touch me! Caius!"

"He won't help you!"

"Don't make me lose my baby!"

The Cardassian's eyes were burning with a violence she had never seen in her husband's eyes even in his worst moments. His nails were claw-like and his hands were rough, not smooth like Caius. He began to pry her legs apart and reach into her clothes. She had never let out such desperate screams in her life. What Caius had done was seduce her and take her a little earlier than she would have liked. This would be a terrible and painful rape. It would certainly be the death of her child.

A voice stopped the Cardassian, "The baby is mine, Markus! Let her go!"

"Yours?" the Cardassian turned to his comrade. "I didn't know you had it in you, blank shooter!"

Caius glared at him dangerously. His weapon was aimed for Markus' chest: Center mass just like they were always taught in basic training. Markus didn't seem to take him seriously. He laughed.

"She's attractive for a hairless ape, I'll give you that! You've clearly had her plenty of times. Hold her down and let me have a go! I haven't had a woman longer than you! We've shared a girl before, remember?"

Caius bowed his head in shame.

"_Nari_, help me!" Cara whimpered. "He's going to kill us!"

"What's the matter, Caius? Was that a Cardassian endearment I heard from her lips? Have you been teaching her our language? That's bordering treason!"

"She and the baby are mine! I won't let you harm them!"

"Yours? Yours as in family? What kind of madness has possessed you?" Markus hooted.

He realized that they both wore Bajoran style pledge bracelets that Caius had fashioned out of the scrap metal from her ship. He snorted with disgust. At least his comrade hadn't pierced his ear and started sporting a Bajoran earring. Cardassians signed marriage contracts and kept them in vaults. They weren't sappy like Bajorans.

"Caius, you have gone native thinking with your dick!" Markus admonished.

"She's carrying my child! That makes her family, joined to me in every way that a woman can be joined to a man! She could have killed me countless times. I might have deserved it. She saved my life and I have saved hers! If that isn't family, what is?"

"She's the enemy!" Markus bristled with indignation. "She's the reason you crashed here! She has killed Cardassians! Her child is an insult to nature, a mongrel of inferior breeding! It'll likely come out deformed or sterile! You can't possibly let either of them live!"

"Family and state!" Caius reminded him. "Those are what matters most on Cardassia! Cara and my child are my family! Leave us alone and tell our superiors we died on this moon. Please, Markus! If ever you counted yourself my friend, do me this favor! I will owe you a debt!"

"You were always pathetic, Caius! You can't choose them over your duty to Cardassia!"

"I've served the Empire plenty enough! Cardassia will be fine without me!"

"You need rehabilitation! Maybe there's toxins in the food and water here. That's got to be the only explanation for your actions! I'm putting an end to this!"

"I will kill you, Markus!"

"That would be treason and murder!"

"And what would you call slaughtering a pregnant woman? Double homicide?"

"It's removing insurgency!"

"I can't accept that, Markus, and neither of us is ever going back to Cardassia Prime again."

With that, Caius fired and killed his former comrade. He cradled Cara in his arms, relieved he could hear her heart as well as the erratic thumping of beats at her belly. He had made his choice. He felt no qualms of guilt or regret.

A few years later, Cara and Caius rose to greet the sun on the colony for Cardassian and Bajoran hybrids. The colony was isolated and primitive, but the weather was far more pleasant. They had hybrid neighbors a few yards away and beyond them were enough houses and families to make a thriving village. There was a medical practitioner, scientists, botanists, monks and teachers. They had been in sore need of an engineer and Caius had been busy constructing generators.

Their child turned out to be twins that they named Erik and Saria. It was a stunningly beautiful boy and girl with the best features of both species. Their mother was pregnant again and the couple planned to have many more.

"Do you think Bajor will ever be free?" Cara asked.

"Yes," Caius stroked her belly and kissed it. "Cardassia has spread their empire too thinly and I'm sure I wasn't the only defector. A new couple arrived this morning from Bajor. I met them passing through the community center. He didn't want to give up his comfort woman and their baby either. I'm sure they will have interesting news about the Occupation. Do you think Bajor will ever accept our children?"

She gazed at their twins playing without a single concern or worry. No one here ever made them feel like mongrels or abominations. Most of the children were similar and they celebrated their differences. A Bajoran woman could drop to her knees in prayer and a Cardassian could teach hard science beside her. The children were free to choose which bits of culture spoke to them.

Thanks to toughened skin that wasn't quite like daddy's scales, the pair of children could rough house with each other without cause for concern. The boy Erik had mommy's violet eyes but daddy's black hair. Saria mirrored her brother. Instead of being outright cold-blooded or warm-blooded, they possessed poikilothermy. That meant that they adapted their temperature to their environment and didn't let the elements affect them! They had nearly all of dad's strength and mom could teach them to go into full trance like her. They were unique and they were a joy!

"Someday, Caius, there might be very little to differentiate Bajorans and Cardassians. I think this is what the Prophets intend for us."

"Whatever or whoever planned it, I'll have to thank them one day."

"Should we pick a Cardassian or Bajoran name for our third child?"

"Let's roll dice to decide."

Cara wrinkled her nose ridges, "Alright."


End file.
